


i'll kiss your head (and say it's under control)

by roowrites



Category: The Hollow (Cartoon)
Genre: Adam just wants Kai to feel loved, Also I wrote this a while back and never posted it but here it is, Fluff, I Tried To Make It Realistic, Kai's a little insecure, M/M, Mutual Pining, Sharing a Bed, Short & Sweet, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:00:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25406539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roowrites/pseuds/roowrites
Summary: Kai still isn't sure how he ends up sleeping over at Adam's house.It ends up being kind of nice.
Relationships: Adam/Kai (The Hollow)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 186





	i'll kiss your head (and say it's under control)

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this fic about a month ago but I wasn't satisfied with it so I made some edits, and I finally like it enough to post. Also, this title and fic are inspired by the song "Emerald" by Rini, if you wanna listen to it! :)

Kai still isn’t quite sure how he ends up sleeping over at Adam’s house.

One minute, Kai, Mira, and Adam are eating lasagna and laughing around Adam’s dinner table, and the next Adam’s mom asks him about his parents. Kai fumbles through his answer, but she gets the gist of it… that Kai’s parents aren’t exactly present. And Adam’s mom must pity him for having to go home to an empty house, because she gives him a warm look and tells him to stay the night. Kai doesn’t know what to think of that, but when Adam gives him the same look and says he’d be happy to share his room with Kai—the redhead doesn’t know how to say no to them. He wonders if maybe a part of him enjoys the normalcy of Adam’s family.

And now, he’s lying in Adam’s bed—the other boy refuses to let him sleep on the floor—and even with the door closed, the sound of Adam’s parents talking and laughing quietly drifts from the kitchen. He tries to distract himself by letting his gaze wander around Adam’s room. There’s a bookshelf with a few trophies, a baseball bat leaning against the boy’s desk, and… Kai eyes the rainbow flag pinned to the wall for a moment before his gaze drifts to Adam's figure on the floor.

“Adam,” Kai whispers, before he can stop himself. The other boy stirs, brown eyes meeting Kai’s even through the darkness.

“Yeah?” His voice, soft and deep, answers.

“I don’t know,” Kai says, because he truthfully doesn’t. Everything about this is unfamiliar. The soft voices coming from outside, the feel of the mattress, which is much less firm than his own... and Adam’s warm brown eyes peering up at him. “I can’t sleep.”

The sound of hushed laughter comes from the kitchen, and Kai’s gaze flicks to the door. Adam sits up.

“I can go tell them to be quieter, if you want,” He offers.

“No!” Kai responds, a little too quickly. “I mean, no. It’s okay. It’s not bothering me, it’s just…” He searches for the right word. “Weird.”

“Weird?”

“My parents never did that,” Kai explains, or attempts to. Adam watches him curiously, leaning forward a bit. He takes a shaky breath, before continuing. “Whenever they talked, it was always really… cold, I guess. They got into huge arguments all the time, too. Sometimes I wondered if they even loved each other, or _me,_ at all.”

The other boy stares at him, and Kai wants to squirm away from his gaze. He turns to face the window, instead.

It’s only a second before Kai hears some rustling, and then there’s a hand on his shoulder. He turns back around to see that Adam’s moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

“I… I know my words probably don’t mean much,” Adam begins tentatively. Kai stares at him, before Adam finally sets his jaw and looks Kai in the eyes. “But I’m sure they loved you, Kai. You’re one of the smartest and most understanding people I’ve ever met.” The other boy hesitates slightly. Kai can’t tell for sure, but he thinks Adam’s face reddens a little. “And… and even if they didn’t, I– _we_ love you. I know that doesn’t make up for your parents, but–”

He’s cut off when Kai leans forward and wraps his arms around Adam’s neck, burying his face into the taller boy’s shoulder. They stay like that, for a minute, before Adam gingerly reaches up and rubs Kai’s back.

It’s… nice, to say the least.

“Thank you, Adam,” Kai says finally, words muffled by the boy’s shoulder. “It does. Mean a lot, I mean.”

“Oh,” Adam murmurs. “O-Of course.”

The redhead pulls back, smiling a little, and the two of them stare at each other a moment. _Adam looks strangely nice under the moonlight,_ Kai thinks before he can help it. The warmth coming from the other boy feels so real that it’s hard to believe they’re only living in a simulation.

He remembers that they’ve been staring at each other for a bit too long.

“Um–” Kai begins, and Adam startles out of his trance, looking down at the sleeping bag.

“Right, sorry,” The boy says, standing up. “Let’s get to sleep.”

“Wait–“ Kai’s hand reaches out and grabs his wrist before either of them even realize it. Reddening, he looks down at his hand and back up at Adam, trying to think of how to not sound desperate. Or idiotic. All he knows is that he wants Adam to… stay. “You– you don’t have to sleep on the floor,” Kai stammers. “There’s, um, plenty of room up here, so…”

“You want me to– to sleep on the bed. With…” Adam swallows, eyes flicking to the sheets. “With you.”

“Yeah,” Kai responds, feeling a bit pathetic at the way Adam says it. “But only, you know, if you want to.”

The other boy says nothing, and Kai can feel his own face heating up even more as the seconds pass. He realizes he’s still holding onto Adam’s wrist, and lets go of it quickly.

“Never mind, forget it. That was dumb, I shouldn’t have–“

“Sure,” Adam interrupts.

Kai wonders if he’s heard correctly. “Sure?”

“I want to,” The other boy clarifies. Squinting, Kai once again thinks that Adam looks a little red, too, but he can’t really tell.

“O-Oh,” He says, baffled. “ _Oh,_ okay.”

Scooting over, Kai pats the bed. The mattress dips slightly as Adam hesitantly takes a seat, and then they both lie there, each avoiding the other’s gaze.

“I can’t remember the last time I shared a bed with someone.”

“Really? I did this a lot with Mira when we were kids. She’s a total bed hog,” Adam lets out a soft laugh. “I guess it has been a while, though.”

“That sounds nice,” Kai pauses, letting his eyes trace the outlines of numerous glow in the dark stars glued to the ceiling. “My mom… she used to come to my room after she and dad fought, and just hold me till we both fell asleep. I got really used to it, but then they got a divorce. My dad got custody of me, and my mom just packed her stuff and left. She told me she would stay in touch, but I haven’t heard from her in a long time.” His gaze slides to Adam, trying to gauge the boy’s reaction. “I don’t think I’ve slept the same since.”

“...I had no idea,” Adam says, after a moment. “You always seem so– so upbeat.”

“Yeah, well,” Kai murmurs. “Someone has to be.”

“But it doesn’t always have to be you,” The other boy nudges him, holding his gaze. “You can, I don’t know, lean on us. Lean on… me.”

And, staring back at him, Kai feels another surge of warmth roll through him.

“Okay,” He agrees, feeling oddly content. Adam looks satisfied by the answer, and gives Kai a gentle pat on the shoulder.

“Let’s get to sleep, now,” He says quietly, and Kai nods, turning over to face the window. 

But there’s still something there, something left in the air between them—Kai isn’t sure what it is. At least, not until he feels the bedsheets shift a little, and then there’s the gentle pressure of a hand against his back. Adam slowly scoots closer, his arm hesitantly moving to wrap around Kai’s midsection.

“Kai,” Adam whispers. “Is this okay?”

He sounds nervous. So, before he can overthink it too much, Kai rolls over to face the other boy. Those brown eyes widen in surprise, but Kai ignores it and curls up against Adam, resting his forehead against the taller boy’s collarbone. Adam’s arm tightens around him, and Kai lets out a soft sigh. It feels so… familiar.

“Yeah,” He murmurs, finally. “This is perfect.”

And then, listening to the steady, comforting sounds of Adam’s breathing even out, Kai feels himself drifting into one of the deepest sleeps he’s had in a long time.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the read! Tbh, this fic was also a bit of a character study on Kai. Based on canon, I like to think that he's someone who doesn't know how to act around a normal family like Adam's—since he literally just lives in a mansion with his butler. I also didn't think the fact that his parents fought a lot was touched on enough in canon, cause that's honestly really traumatic, so I wanted to show some effects of it. I also like to think that Kai's someone who yearns for physical touch cause he probably doesn't get much—and Adam, who gets plenty, is more than happy to help.


End file.
